Controlling apparatus for lighting effects



' Oct. 9, 1934.

W. A. BQDEN CONTROLLING APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING EFFECTS Filed March 30, 1929 2 Sheets-$heet INVENTOR ,M ATTORNEY Get. 9, 1934. w A, BODEN 1,976,005

CONTROLLING APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING EFFECTS Filed March 30, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W121; A'Wiii KEZQZE? Patented Oct. 9, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTROLLING APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING EFFECTS ration of New York Application March 30, 1929, Serial No. 351,313

4 Claims.

few of the primary colors are utilized as the sources of light and, by merging and controlling the duration of the different lighting groups, various combinations may be obtained by gradual changes and in regular sequence, giving the beautiful and varying efiects of mobile color lighting.

Such effects are very desirable for use in theatres, motion picture houses, parks, promenades, caves, gardens, store windows and advertising displays, advertising signs, flood lighting of buildings and various other purposes.

Heretofore, it has been customary to design and build the apparatus for securing a predetermined lighting eifect and sequence of control. But it is also very desirable to enable the user to try different lighting effects and sequence of control, as it is very difiicult to predetermine the most desirable effects for a particular purpose. Also, it is desirable to enable the user to modify the lighting effects from time to time so as to permit him to select the one best suited for his different requirements and to secure new and attractive effects.

The main object of the present invention is to provide improved apparatus of a character which will enable the user, at will, to change the apparatus to give any desired lighting effects, as by permitting the user to change the periods of brightness and dimness of any particular group of lights and also enable the user to change the sequence of the lights with reference to each other and the degree of merging of the different lights whether colored or White. Another object is to produce a simple form of apparatus for this purpose which will be dependable and also permit convenient adjustment of the various parts for securing desired variations in control. Other objects and advantages of this invention will be understood from the following description and accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing one embodiment of the controlling apparatus; Fig. 2 is a diagram of connections thereof; Fig. 3 is a front view of a pair of the relatively adjustable cams of Fig. 1 Fig. 4 is a side View thereof; Figs. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing permissible control of one of the groups of lamps with one specific form of cam; and Fig. '7 is a diagram illustrating lighting effects from three groups of lights, assuming one particular adjustment of the apparatus.

Referring to Fig. 1, the supports 10 serve to carry in alignment, 2. number of rheostats or dimmer plates 11. Each of these plates comprises an insulated resistive element connected at intermediate points to the usual contact buttons 12 which are successively engaged by a movable contact arm 13. This is a well-known form of plate rheostat and any of the usual forms may be used in place of the particular form indicated. The movable contact arm carries a wheel 14 which is shown as being actuated by the reciprocation of the rod 15, the end of which is in the form of a bow for carrying a chain 16 which encircles the wheel 14 and the center of which is attached to the wheel. Obviously, reciprocation of the rod 15 will cause the contact arm 13 to move over the resistance contacts in reverse directions and thereby gradually increase or decrease the amount of resistance in circuit with the group of lamps to be controlled.

Each of the plate rheostats is similarly arranged and actuated, the rods 15 and 15" being indicated as extending from other plate rheostats in the rear of the one shown in Fig. 1. A fixed pivot shaft 16' is shown as being suitably mounted; and this shaft serves as the pivotal support for the oscillatory arms l7, l7 and 17 which are mounted at their lower ends on the shaft 16'. A slot 18, 18' and 18" is provided in each of these arms at their upper ends for the purpose of adjustably securing thereto the outer ends of the rods 15, 15' and 15". This may be done by an adjustable bolt on which the end of its respective rod is rotatably mounted. Adjustment in these slots obviously permits the desired range of movement of the rheostat contact arms to be secured.

Between these reciprocating arms and the rheostatic plates is suitably mounted a rotatable shaft 19, on the rear end of which is secured a sprocket wheel 20 driven by a chain 21 which in turn is driven by an electric motor 22, or other suitable driving means. The shaft 19 is, of course, driven continuously in one direction.

For each dimmer plate and oscillatory arm, there is provided a pair of cams 23, 24 which are fixed upon and driven by the shaft 19. These cams are shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 4. One of the cams 24, is mounted directly upon the shaft 19 and the other cam 23 is in turn mounted upon the cam 24. The cam 24 is provided with an elongated sleeve 24a, at one end of which a web extends outwardly and carries the peripheral contact portion 24b. At the opposite end of the cam sleeve, a screw 24c passes radially therethrough and its inner end engages a groove 19a in the shaft. Evidently by loosening this nut, the cam 24 and also the cam 23 may be moved in unison and adjusted to any desired angular position upon the shaft 19. The cam 23 is made up of a sleeve 23a which is mounted upon the sleeve 24a of the other cam. The sleeve 23a carries an adjustable screw 230, the inner end of which engages a groove 24d in the sleeve 24a. By loosening this screw, the

cam 23 may be adjusted to, and then secured in, any desired angular position with reference to the cam 24. The other end of the sleeve 23a carries an outwardly extending web which ih'turn carries the portion of the cam which engages the operating mechanism. This portion is 'shown as a peripheral part 232: extending from one side of the web and having an interior engaging surface 23c. In order to prevent the cams from improperly overlapping, a pin 24) is fixed to a web of the cam 24 and extends in an axial direction therefrom so as to limit the movement of this cam in one direction, with reference to the cam 23; by this pin engaging the edge 23] of the web of cam 23; and to limit the movement of this cam in the other direction, with reference to the cam 23, by this pin engaging an edge 23g of an extension of the web of cam 23.

Now again referring to Fig. 1, each arm 1'7, 17' and 17" carries on its side along the length of its mid portion, a roller 25, 25 and 25". The cams 23 and 24 are adapted to in turn engage these rollers. In the position shown in Fig. 1, the front cam 24 is in engagement with roller 25 at its outer periphery and has caused the arm 1'7 to be moved to the left by the roller 25 riding part way up upon the outer surface of the cam 24, the direction of rotation of the shaft 19 being assumed to be counter-clockwise. Continued movement will cause the arm 1'7 to be moved further tothe left until the roller leaves the outer portion of cam 24. The roller 'is thereafter engaged by the interior surface of the cam 23. An engagement of this interior surface with the roller 25 will cause the 'arm 1'7 to be moved gradually to the right to its extreme position, where it stays until again engaged by the periphery of the cam 24.

It is evident that the oscillatory movement given tothe arm 17 will cause its corresponding plate rheostat contact arm to be turned-in reverse directions and correspondingly dim and brighten the group of lamps controlled by this rheostat. It may be assumed that when the arm 1'7 has been pushed by the cam 24 to its extreme position to the left, that all of the resistance is cut out and the lamps are brought to their full brilliancy, and

that when the cam 23 has caused the arm 17 to be pulled to its extreme right hand position, all

' of the resistance has been inserted in the circuit of the lamps and they are dimmed to the minimum. Of' course, the connections may be made such as to cause the-lamps to be dimmed when the arm 25 is moved to the left and to brighten when it is moved to the right. I

Also by moving the pivot 15a in slot 18 so the pivot is near the shaft 16, the travel of the rod 15 may be lessened so that the lamps may be dimmed less than the maximum possible, or may not be brightened to fullbrightness.

Fig. 2 is a diagram in simplified form of the circuit connections where three groups of lamps 26, 26 and 26'', of different colored lamps, are shown controlled by their corresponding variable resistances 2'7, 27' and 27" connected respectively in series'with each group of lamps and across the supply circuit from thesource 28. These variable resistances correspond to the plate rheostats 11 and the like.

Now referring to Fig. 5, it is evident that if the cam 24 is adjusted to bring the pin 24 against the web 23g of the cam 23, then when the resistance of the rheostat is entirely out out and so cause its group'of lamps to. be gradually .brought to its full brightness, the resistance will be immediately gradually inserted and the lamps dimmed to the minimum limit. This action is represented in Fig. 5 where the abscissae represent time and the ordinates represent degree of brilliancy of the lamps. The increasing curve 29 represents the increasing illumination brought about by engagement of the roller 25 by the cam 23 and the decreasing curve 30 represents the decrease in illumination brought about by the engagement of the roller 25 by the cam 24. There is then a considerable rest period represented by the horizontal line 31 after which the lamps of the particular group considered will be brought again to their maximum brilliancy as indicated by the increasing curve 29. F

Now if the cam 23 be adjusted on the cam 24 so that the pin 24 engages the face 23 of the web of the cam 23, then there will not be any rest period at the minimum limit, but there will be a considerably prolonged period of maximum illumination by the action of the cams on the roller 25. increasing curve 29a corresponds to the increased illumination brought about by the actionof the cam 23. Then there is a continuous period of maximum brilliancy indicated by the line 32, after which the cam 24 will cause the brilliancy to be decreased along the curve 30a to the minimum. At the minimum point, the cam 23 immediately picks up the roller 25 and causes the increase of brilliancy again along the curve 29a.

It will, of course, be understood that the form of the increasing and decreasing curves will depend upon the contour of the cam surfaces, but ordinarily a gradual increase and decrease is suitable. It will alsobe understood that by varying the positions of the cams 23 and 24 with green, respectively. The upper diagram'is illus-* trative of the control secured by the red group of lamps; and shows a period of full brilliancy at the line 32a of comparatively short duration and a minimum period at the line 31a of compara tively long duration. The blue group of lamps of Fig. 7 is shown as having a control the same as that shown in Fig. 5 with a full rest period at the minimum condition; It will be noted that the increasing of the blue group'takes place during the decreasing of the red group and it is evident that the time of this increase with reference to the red group is obtained by proper angular adjustment on the shaft 19 by the screw 240 of the cams controlling the blue group of lights with reference to the location of the cams controlling the red group of lights.

The lower diagram of Fig. 7 shows an assumed condition of adjustment of the cams for controlling a green group of lamps. Here there is a com- This is represented in Fig. 6 where the paratively short rest period at the minimum anda comparatively long period of full brilliancy; and the adjustment on the shaft 19 of its pair of cams is such with reference to the cams controlling the other two groups as to cause the increase of the green group to begin at about the time the blue is decreasing; then to continue at maximum brilliancy while the other two groups are at their minimum condition and also during the period when the red group starts to increase; and then decreases while the red group is increasing.

From the above explanations and illustrated examples, it will be apparent that any desired control of each group of lamps may be obtained and that the sequence of action of each group with reference to the other groups may be adjusted to give any desired time relationship of colors and any desired merging of the colors with reference to each other.

This invention thus enables the user to secure any effects he desires by adjustment of each cam of a pair of cams with reference to the other and by adjustment of each pair of cams with reference to each of the other pair of controlling cams; and it also enables the user to adjust the cams to give any desired change in the lighting effects from time to time to secure operative variations in the lighting effects and to suit particular conditions as they may arise. Although three groups of lights have been particularly referred to, it will be understood that any suitable number of groups and corresponding controlling apparatus may be used, as desired.

Although I have described particular embodiments of this invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope thereof.

I claim:

1. Controlling apparatus comprising a rheostat having a movable element for varying the effective resistance thereof, a rotatable driving shaft, a cam mounted on said shaft having an exterior cam surface for pushing the movable element of the rheostat in one direction for gradually varying the eifective resistance of the rheostat, a cam mounted on said shaft having an interior cam surface for pulling said element in the opposite direction for reversely gradually varying the effective resistance of the rheostat, and means whereby the angular positions of the cams relatively to each other may be varied.

2. Controlling apparatus comprising a rheostat having a movable element for varying the effective resistance thereof, a rotatable driving shaft, a cam carried by said shaft, said cam having an exterior surface effective for pushing said element in one direction to gradually vary the ef- :fective resistance of the rheostat and having an interior surface effective for pulling said element in the opposite direction for reversely gradually varying the effective resistance of the rheostat, and adjustable means whereby the angular relationship of said surfaces of the cam to each other may be varied.

3. Controlling apparatus comprising a plurality of rheostats, each of said rheostats having a movable element to vary the effective resistance of the rheostats respectively, a rotatable driving shaft, a plurality of cams carried by said shaft, one of said cams cooperating with each of said rheostats respectively, each of said cams having an exterior surface effective for pushing the movable element of its respective rheostat in one direction for gradually varying the effective resistance of its rheostat and having an interior surface effective for pulling said element of its rheostat in the opposite direction to reversely increase the effective resistance of its rheostat, and means whereby the angular positions of the cams may be varied relatively to each other and whereby the angular relationship of the said surfaces of each of said cams may be varied relatively to each other.

4. Controlling apparatus comprising a rheostat having a movable element for varying the effective resistance thereof, a rotatable driving shaft, driving means comprising an element mounted on said shaft for pushing said rheostat element in one direction to gradually vary the effective resistance of the rheostat and comprising a second element mounted on said shaft for pulling said rheostat element in the reverse direction for reversely gradually increasing the effective resistance of the rheostat, and means whereby said actuating elements may be adjusted angularly on said shaft relatively to each other.

WALTER A. BODEN. 

